3 gallon Beni Otaka
How to Select a Japanese Maple Tree
Selecting the proper Japanese maple tree for your garden or landscape depends on 5 factors: hardiness, location (sun or shade), mature size, type (lace leaf or palmatum) and preferred leaf color.
Tip 1 Choose a variety that is rated to be cold hardy in your zone. If you are planting it in a pot or container above ground, choose a variety that is at least two cold zones hardier than your zone. To learn more about Japanese maple cold hardiness click here
Tip 2 Determine how large you can allow your tree to grow. With a little pruning once or twice a year, Japanese maples are very easy to maintain at a specific size. But if you prefer not to prune, you will want to choose a variety that will naturally only grow to a size that will work in the allotted space for both height and width.
Tip 3 Where will it be planted, sun or shade? Most Japanese maples prefer morning sun and afternoon shade. Planting on the east side of a fence or building provides the best environment for Japanese maples. Avoid all day full sun locations especially in southern states. Japanese maples can live in that environment, but usually leaf scorch will occur when temperatures rise above 90 degrees and the sun is shining directly on them.
Tip 4 Japanese maples generally come in 2 types:
Dissectum (aka weeping or lace leaf) or Palmatum (aka upright or standard).
Most common to the trade are the lace leaf types, and most have red or purple leaves with a few green leafed varieties. I'm not aware of any variegated lace leaf varieties.
Palmatum types are about 60% red or purple leafed, 30% green leafed and 10% other (variegated, gold, multi-colored) . Most lace leaf types are weeping varieties, although a few upright lace leafs do exist. Inaba Shidare is a good upright red lace leaf and Seiryu is a good green upright variety.
One of the most important factors when considering which type to grow is sun exposure. The lace leaf types typically cannot tolerate as much direct sun and wind as palmatum types. The leaves are much more delicate due to the thinness of the leaf and the width of the leaf lobes. Planting a lace leaf Japanese maple in full sun is not advised and another selection should be considered.
The upright red type varieties that are well known for their ability to tolerate sunnier locations are Bloodgood and Emperor 1.
Osakazuki and Omure yama are good green uprights with great fall color. Red Select and Ever Red are said to be more tolerant to direct sun and Virdis and Waterfall are good green varieties for sunnier locations. Please keep in mind that while the mentioned varieties are more tolerant of sunnier locations, they may still show signs of burning on the leaf edges.
Tip 5 What leaf color do you prefer, red, green or variegated? Green-leafed varieties can tolerate sunnier and hotter exposure than red-leafed or variegated varieties. Green-leafed varieties grow faster and larger. Variegated varieties prefer shadier locations.
Use the chart below to select a Japanese maple tree suited for your requirements.
If you would like to learn more or purchase a specific variety of Japanese maple, click the variety link to our
JAPANESE MAPLE SELECTION CHART
| HARDINESS ZONE | LEAF COLOR | TYPE | VARIETY | HEIGHT FEET | SPREAD FEET |
| 4-8 | Red | dissectum (Laceleaf) | Inaba shidare | 10 | 8 |
| 4-9 | Red | dissectum (Laceleaf) | Tamukeyama | 8 | 8 |
| 5-8 | Green | dissectum (Laceleaf) | Waterfall | 10 | 12 |
| 5-8 | Green | dissectum (Laceleaf) | Virdis | 10 | 12 |
| 5-8 | Green | japonicum | Aconitifolium Maiku-jaku | 10 | 5 |
| 5-8 | Green | japonicum | Green Cascade | 22 | 18 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Shu Shidare | 3 | 6 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Green Mist | 4 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Murasaki Kiyohime | 4 | 6 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Green Hornet | 5 | 5 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Tiger Rose | 6 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Winter Flame | 6 | 3 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Rugose | 7 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Ao shime no uchi | 8 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Hogyoku | 8 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Kagiri Nishiki | 8 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Scolopendrifolium | 8 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Shigarami | 8 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Green Lace | 12 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Osakazuki | 20 | 20 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Sango Kaku | 25 | 22 |
| 5-8 | Green | palmatum | Green | 25 | 25 |
| 5-8 | Red | dissectum (Laceleaf) | Garnet | 5 | 6 |
| 5-8 | Red | dissectum (Laceleaf) | Crimson Queen | 10 | 12 |
| 5-8 | Red | dissectum (Laceleaf) | Red Dragon | 10 | 12 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Octopus | 5 | 6 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Skeeters Broom | 5 | 3 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Tsukushigata | 6 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Red Cloud | 8 | 8 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Pixie | 8 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Hubb's Red Willow | 8 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Iijima Sunago | 8 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Red Emperor | 10 | 6 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Beni Otake | 12 | 8 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Burgundy Lace | 12 | 10 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Hefner's Red | 12 | 5 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Trompenburg | 15 | 15 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Bloodgood | 20 | 20 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Oshio Bene | 20 | 15 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Atro-purpureum | 25 | 25 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | atro-purpureum (Small Pots) | 25 | 25 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Atro-purpureum ((SEED)) | 25 | 25 |
| 5-8 | Red | palmatum | Atro-purpureum | 25 | 25 |
| 5-8 | Variegated | palmatum | First Ghost | 6 | 3 |
| 5-8 | Variegated | palmatum | Peaches & Cream | 6 | 6 |
| 5-8 | Variegated | palmatum | Amber Ghost | 8 | 8 |
| 5-8 | Variegated | palmatum | Grandma Ghost | 8 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Variegated | palmatum | Sagara Nishiki | 9 | 6 |
| 5-8 | Variegated | palmatum | Butterfly | 15 | 8 |
| 5-8 | Variegated | palmatum | Shirazz | 15 | 12 |
| 5-8 | Variegated | palmatum | Sister Ghost | 6 | 4 |
| 5-8 | Variegated | palmatum | Geisha | 2 | 3 |
| 5-9 | Green | palmatum | Glowing Embers | 20 | 20 |
| 5-9 | Red | dissectum (Laceleaf) | Ever Red | 6 | 10 |
| 5-9 | Red | dissectum (Laceleaf) | Lion Heart | 10 | 6 |
| 5-9 | Red | palmatum | Ruby Stars | 3 | 2 |
| 5-9 | Red | palmatum | Red Sentinel | 8 | 12 |
| 5-9 | Red | palmatum | Purple Ghost | 12 | 5 |
| 5-9 | Red | palmatum | Twisted Japanese red maple Tree | 15 | 12 |
| 6-8 | Green | dissectum (Laceleaf) | Seiryu | 12 | 6 |
| 6-8 | Green | palmatum | Omure yama | 10 | 15 |
| 6-8 | Red | dissectum (Laceleaf) | Red Select | 6 | 10 |
| 6-8 | Red | dissectum (Laceleaf) | Orangeola | 8 | 8 |
| 6-8 | Red | palmatum | Shishigashira | 6 | 4 |
| 6-8 | Red | palmatum | Shaina | 6 | 4 |
| 6-8 | Red | palmatum | Shishio Improved | 10 | 4 |
| 6-8 | Red | palmatum | Fireglow | 15 | 15 |
| 6-8 | Red | palmatum | Emperor I | 20 | 15 |
| 6-8 | Red | palmatum | Boskoop Glory | 15 | 10 |
| 6-8 | Red | palmatum | Moonfire | 14 | 15 |
| 6-8 | Variegated | palmatum | Beni Schichihenge | 8 | 5 |